Criminal LawSection 350, Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023

BNS Section 350

What is the punishment for putting a false label on a package to mislead others?

Short answer

You can be sentenced to up to three years in jail, a fine, or both.

In detail

If you place a false mark, label, or any indication on a case, package or other container that holds goods, and you do it in a way that is meant to make a public official or anyone else think the contents are different from what they really are, the law treats this as a crime. The offence applies whether you claim the container has goods it does not contain, says it is empty when it is not, or describes the goods as having a different nature or quality. To be convicted, you must have intended to defraud, unless you can prove you had no such intent. The same penalty applies if you simply use a false mark that was made in violation of this rule. The punishment may be imprisonment for up to three years, a monetary fine, or both, at the court's discretion.

Reviewed by LegalX Editorial · 3 September 2026View source

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